Jewish leader threatens to sue European companies who support Iranian terror with trade
"It reminds me of the economy and industry of the 'Third Reich," said the vice president of Europe's Jewish Congress.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALUpdated: AUGUST 11, 2015 02:36Ariel Muzicant, president of the Viennese Jewish community(photo credit: REUTERS)
BERLIN – Ariel Muzicant, a vice president of Europe’s Jewish Congress, warned that he would take legal actions against countries for business deals with Iran that lead to terrorist attacks against Jews.“I say this in the strongest terms. It reminds me of the economy and the industry of the Third Reich,” said Muzicant, who previously led the Vienna Jewish community, according to the web page of the European Jewish Congress.“These countries should know what they are doing and we will be forced to fight back.If it really come to attacks on Jews or Israel funded by an Iran enabled by such transactions, we would consider class actions against individuals and companies,” he added in the comments published last month.He slammed the slated visit next month of Áustria’s President Heinz Fischer and a business delegation to Iran.Austria is only seeking profits and pure greed and was “hypocritical” for cutting deals with a regime that tramples on human rights, according to Muzicant.The Austrian crane company Palfinger took back comments about entering Iran’s market last week. A crane from the company was previously used to hang an Iranian man.Stefan Schaden, a spokesman for the Vienna-based Stop the Bomb organization, told The Jerusalem Post last week that “Palfinger declared that they stopped their Iran business in 2013, a decision we highly respect. They now called Iran a ‘promising market’ with a high demand for cranes, however.“This is a rather cynical remark that deserves strong criticism, given the general knowledge that the regime hangs people on cranes. If Palfinger now declares that they will continue to refrain from doing business in Iran as long as this brutal regime exists and the cruel executions continue, Palfinger can become a bright example of a responsible company with high ethical principles and serve as a role model for others,” he said.Stop the Bomb is an NGO that opposes Iran’s nuclear program and aims to improve human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Palfinger CEO Herbert Ortner told the Austrian APA wire service last month that he sees Iran as a “promising market” where there is a strong demand for cranes because there is no local production.Palfinger spokesman Hannes Roither told the Post that the company does not have plans at this time to sell cranes to Iran.